BBC ON THIS DAY | 6 | 1957: Ghana celebrates independence About This Site | Text Only 1957: Ghana celebrates independence The people of Ghana have been celebrating the end of colonial rule and the dawn of their independence. Most workers have been given the day off - tens of thousands have gathered in the capital, Accra, to greet the independent country's first prime minister, Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The Duchess of Kent has been attending the celebrations. Last night, she opened the Independence Monument, erected near the spot where in 1948 members of the Ghanaian ex-servicemen's union were shot when marching to present a petition to the British Governor. The Gold Coast Legislative Assembly was prorogued at midnight to cheers from the waiting crowd outside. This morning the Legislative Assembly building, now the building of the Ghana parliament was packed with members dressed in their national costumes. The first Governor-General of Ghana, Sir Charles Arden-Clarke has been sworn in. Message from the Queen The Duchess gave a speech, setting out the Ghana Government policy. She also read out a personal message from the Queen to the people of Ghana.

In it she said: "The hopes of many, especially in Africa, hang on your endeavours. It is my earnest and confident belief that my people in Ghana will go forward in freedom and justice." In reply, Dr Nkrumah said: "My government fully realises both the advantages and the responsibilities involved in the achievement of independence. It intends to make full use of these advantages to increase the prosperity of the country." Earlier, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, made a speech welcoming Ghana's move to independence. "The government and people of Ghana have set their hands to a great task. We are confident whatever may be the difficulties which will face them they will maintain and develop the principles of tolerance and freedom which are inherent in our parliamentary system. We shall give them all the help we can." Ghana Independence 1957 Return to "Decolonization and Independence" Chronology Attempting to replace the slave trade with "legitimate trade" (lawful trade) in British-manufactured goods, Great Britain increasingly intervened in the affairs of Coastal Africa. In 1821, the British government took control of the Gold Coast's possessions from a private African company of merchants.

According to Kwame Appiah and Henry Louis, in 1844, the Fanti (the most numerous of the coastal people) rulers signed an agreement with the British that became the legal stepping stone to colonial status for the coastal area (Appiah, 830). Because of the Ashantis (a people who lived in central Ghana) incursions in the coastal region threatened commercial interests, Great Britain fought a series of campaigns against the Ashantis (1822-1900). The British burned the Ashanti capital of Kumasi and forced the Ashanti to accept a humiliating treaty. Great Britain gradually conquered the peoples to the North of Ashanti between 1896 and 1910 when the Ashanti State lost power and prestige. In 1902, the British annexed Ashanti and Northern territories. Later, Britain declared Ashanti, Northern territories protectorate and the territory of Togoland (it was mandated to the British after World War One) which were known geographically as "The Gold Coast," a crown colony. In the Gold Coast, nationalist opposition began to form during the 1920s when Great Britain introduced indirect rule to traditional authorities.

During the1940s, the movement toward independence gained momentum after police opened fire in Accra (capital of Ghana) on a large contingent of former service men who were peacefully carrying a petition to the Governor to seek redress of their grievances. Joseph Danquah and other leading nationalists founded the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in August 1947 and invited Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, to lead the group's campaign for representative self-government (but Nkrumah and Danquah were jailed after troops fired on demonstrators and a riot erupted in 1948). In 1949, the Convention People's Party (CPP), led by Nkrumah organized workers and farmers for the first time in a mass movement for independent and staged strikes. A new constitution was introduced by Nkrumah's government to provide direct election by universal suffrage in 1954. But his government was opposed by the National Liberation Movement (NLM), led by Kofi Busia and based on the Asante region. NLM criticized CPP for its limitation on the powers of chiefs.

As a result of this, the NLM pushed for the establishment of a federal state with regional governments, while CPP advocated a unitary state. Another constitution was approved on April 29, 1954, establishing a cabinet comprised of African ministers that were drawn from an all-African legislature chosen by direct election. In the election, CPP won the majority of seat in the new legislative assembly (Republic of Ghana, 4). Prime Minister Nkrumah's Gold Coast government issued a white paper containing proposals for Gold Coast independence in May 1956. The British government agreed to a firm date for independence when a majority of British Togoland residents voted for unification with an independent Gold Coast. On March 6, 1957, the state of Ghana, named after the medieval West African empire, became an independent country within the Commonwealth of Nations. Bibliography: Appiah, Kwame and Henry Gates, JR, Ed. Africana: The encyclopedia of the African and African-American Experience capitol of ghana(New York; Civitas Books, 1999), pp. 830-833.

"Republic of Ghana" In "Background Notes on Countries of the World 2003" < Apr. 2003. The Long Road to Ghana's Independence" < Sept. 1997. facts about ghana south africa Researched and written by: Kwame Nkrumah | president of Ghana | Britannica.com president of Ghana W. E. B. Du Bois Kwame Nkrumah, (born Sept. 1909, Nkroful, Gold Coast [now Ghana]—died April 27, 1972, Bucharest , Rom.), Ghanaian nationalist leader who led the Gold Coast’s drive for independence from Britain and presided over its emergence as the new nation of Ghana . He headed the country from independence in 1957 until he was overthrown by a coup in 1966. Kwame Nkrumah, 1962. Marc and Evelyne Bernheim/Woodfin Camp and Associates Early years Kwame Nkrumah’s father was a goldsmith and his mother a retail trader.

Baptized a Roman Catholic, Nkrumah spent nine years at the Roman Catholic elementary school in nearby Half Assini. After graduation from Achimota College in 1930, he started his career as a teacher at Roman Catholic junior schools in Elmina and Axim and at a seminary. Increasingly drawn to politics, Nkrumah decided to pursue further studies in the United States . He entered Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1935 and, after graduating in 1939, obtained master’s degrees from Lincoln and from the University of Pennsylvania . He studied the literature of socialism , notably Karl Marx and Vladimir I. Lenin, and of nationalism , especially Marcus Garvey , the black American leader of the 1920s. Eventually, Nkrumah came to describe himself as a “nondenominational Christian and a Marxist socialist.” He also immersed himself in political work, reorganizing and becoming president of the African Students’ Organization of the United States and Canada. He left the United States in May 1945 and went to England, where he organized the 5th Pan-African Congress in Manchester. Meanwhile, in the Gold Coast, J.B.

Danquah had formed the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) to work for self-government by constitutional means. Invited to serve as the UGCC’s general secretary, Nkrumah returned home in late 1947. As general secretary, he addressed meetings throughout the Gold Coast and began to create a mass base for the new movement. When extensive riots occurred in February 1948, the British briefly arrested Nkrumah and other leaders of the UGCC. When a split developed between the middle-class leaders of the UGCC and the more radical supporters of Nkrumah, he formed in June 1949 the new Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP), a mass-based party that was committed to a program of immediate self-government. In January 1950, Nkrumah initiated a campaign of “positive action,” involving nonviolent protests, strikes, and noncooperation with the British colonial authorities. From prison to prime ministry In the ensuing crisis, services throughout the country were disrupted, and Nkrumah was again arrested and sentenced to one year’s imprisonment. But the Gold Coast’s first general election (Feb. 8, 1951) demonstrated the support the CPP had already won.

Elected to Parliament, Nkrumah was released from prison to become leader of government business and, in 1952, prime minister of the Gold Coast. Britannica Stories Ringling Bros. Folds Its Tent When the Gold Coast and the British Togoland trust territory became an independent state within the British Commonwealth—as Ghana—in March 1957, Nkrumah became the new nation’s first prime minister. In 1958 Nkrumah’s government legalized the imprisonment without trial of those it regarded as security risks. It soon became apparent that Nkrumah’s style of government was to be authoritarian . Nkrumah’s popularity in the country rose, however, as new roads, schools, and health facilities were built and as the policy of Africanization created better career opportunities for Ghanaians. By a plebiscite of 1960 Ghana became a republic and Nkrumah became its president, with wide legislative and executive powers under a new constitution. Nkrumah then concentrated his attention on campaigning for the political unity of black Africa, and he began to lose touch with realities in Ghana.

His administration became involved in magnificent but often ruinous development projects, so that a once-prosperous country became crippled with foreign debt. His government’s Second Development Plan, announced in 1959, had to be abandoned in 1961 when the deficit in the balance of payments rose to more than $125 million. Contraction of the economy led to widespread labour unrest and to a general strike in September 1961. From that time Nkrumah began to evolve a much more rigorous apparatus of political control and to turn increasingly to the communist countries for support. President of Ghana and afterward Ghana demands independence from Britain | South African History Online South African History Online Home » Ghana demands independence from Britain Ghana demands independence from Britain Kwame Nkrumah Friday, 3 August 1956 In 1821, the British Government took control of the British trading forts. In 1844, Fanti chiefs on the Gold Coast (as Ghana was then known) signed an agreement with the British that led to the colonial status for the coastal area. In 1902, the British succeeded in establishing firm control over the Ashanti region and making the northern territories a protectorate.

In May 1956, Kwame Nkrumah's Gold Coast government issued a white paper with proposals for Gold Coast's independence. On 3 August 1956, the Gold Coast Assembly adopted Kwame Nkrumah's resolution demanding independence from Britain. The British Government stated it would agree to a firm date for independence if a reasonable majority for such a step were obtained in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly after a general election. The 1956 election returned the Convention People's Party (CPP) to power with 71 of the 104 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Ghana became an independent state on March 6, 1957, when Britain relinquished its control over the Gold Coast and Ashanti, the Northern Territories Protectorate, and British Togoland. After a long period of colonial rule, the newly elected Assembly of Ghana, passed a motion directing the government to demand independence from Britain. As the opposition party was not part of the debate, the motion was passed with unanimous vote. The motion was also accepted by the British Government as representing the majority of the Assembly. In 1957 Ghana became the first African country to gain independence.

References: Ghana - History , from Mongaybay.com,[online], Available at: [Accessed: 31 July 2013] Ghana’s Dubious Decolonization Distinction - The First Independent African Country - Africa on the Blog Africa on the Blog You are here: Home / Africa Matters / Ghana’s Dubious Decolonization Distinction – The First Independent African Country Ghana’s Dubious Decolonization Distinction – The First Independent African Country May 2, 2013 Share this on WhatsApp Ghana is often given the dubious distinction of being the first former colony in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence. Bypassing North Africa, some editors, journalists and history books go as far as claiming that Ghana was the first country on the entire continent to gain independence. However, these distinctions are not without their controversies. An important truth needs to be told – Ghana was not the first African country to gain independence in neither sub-Saharan Africa nor the entire continent. There are a string of other countries that arguably deserve this recognition. The fact that these distinctions about Ghana are sustained by both Ghanians and non-Ghanians alike, is indicative of a continent with a problematic identity and history that is fueled with hijacked narratives.

Ghana, A Shining Black Star Ghana has long been celebrated as the model for African progress and development. Ghana has long been revered by institutions in the Global North as the poster child for economic success, anti-imperialism, stability and democracy in Africa. This has meant that it has been historically promoted (and propped) as a leader on the continent by countries such as the United States – it is the only sub-Saharan country that Barack Obama has visited as a sitting president. It is also a country celebrated within the continent for being at the center of the liberation struggle and therefore holds a special place in pan-African history. Ghana’s position in the global world order and political economy aids to sustain the myth that Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence. Many people would rather celebrate Ghana’s successes then question the validity of its distinctions. There is no denying that Ghana’s independence was significant for the continent because of the central role Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah played in the liberation struggles across the continent. Ghanians are understandably proud of their role in the decolonization process and the legacy of Nkrumah.

Many of them take the position that Ghana was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence and celebrate Ghana’s independence on March 6, 1957. Few Ghanians and their allies acknowledge that the African country of Sudan gained independence almost a year earlier, on January 1, 1956. Technically speaking, South Africa gained their independence even decades before both Ghana and Sudan. In a more accurate timeline, African countries received their independence in the following order: Independence Timeline: See: Full List So, Who was the First Sub-Saharan African country to Gain Independence? There are many variations to this list because the order in which sub-Saharan African countries received independence is often problematic for the varied reasons. Liberia was established as the home of freed African-American slaves, so it isn’t exactly considered a colony. The second country on the list, South Africa, was a British Colony but became independent in 1910. For South Africa, which developed the system of apartheid, having a White or minority led government often disqualifies them from such distinctions. However, this argument is problematic because Liberia also had a minority ruled government comprised of people that were not ‘indigenous’ to that particular area.

Although Ethiopia is often noted for never being “colonized”, that distinction is equally problematic. Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935-36 (Abyssinian Crisis) which ushered in Italian settlers who stayed for six years. During this time, Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed and exiled until 1941. However, Ethiopia is often considered an occupied and not colonized territory. Egypt, Morrocco and Tunisia are often disqualified because they are north of the Sahara. Another significant country in this debate that is often overlooked is Sudan. It is often argued that Sudan is the true country in Sub-Saharan Africa worthy of the distinction. Albeit physically being south of the Sahara though, Sudan is often disqualified by those that have historically classified it as a North African country. Others have disqualified Sudan because of internal instability that arose after its independence. However, this argument is problematic because arguably, celebrating colonial independence as an achievement on its own, it should be considered separately from the type of government that prevailed after that independence was gained. The recent secession of South Sudan though, may make a South Sudanese claim to being the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence a more a compelling case for those that considered Sudan a North African state.

South Sudan is aligning politically and economically with the East African bloc and consequently, Sub-Saharan Africa. However, since South Sudan is commemorating its recent 2011 date as its official independence day, its claim may be weakened. This is where terminology would become important because South Sudan would need to promote a narrative of having both a “colonial independence” and “secession independence” in order to claim this distinction. Therefore only after having eliminated Liberia (1847), South Africa (1910), Ethiopia (1941), and Sudan/South Sudan (1956) does Ghana’s claim become legitimized. The North – South Divide: Another important dynamic to this debate is that all of Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, was under threat during the colonial era. After eliminating Liberia and South Africa for aforementioned reasons, Egypt can lay claims to being the first African country to gain independence. If Egypt is eliminated, then Libya is next chronologically. However, people rarely try to give Egypt or Libya a distinction for being the first countries in Africa to gain independence altogether. There is a tendency to separate the histories of and narratives of North Africa from the rest of the continent.

The narrative of the first African country to receive independence would be problematic for those that subscribe to the geo-politics of the North Africa – sub-Saharan Africa divide. In the case of Egypt, its true colonial independence is also believed to be in 1952, a year after Libya. However, due to Libya’s position in the Global World order, giving such an accolade to Libya and portraying that country as a leader in Africa would be unpopular to Libya’s critics. Pan-African Narratives: For Pan –Africanists and the like, the narrative of the first African nation is important in reclaiming the identity of Africa as a united continent. Africans can be both African and Arab and it is up to the continent to claim an identity that is inclusive of the dynamic cultures within the continents borders. Whether that country is above or below the Sahara is irrelevant in a united African history where all African countries shared common roots. If we consider which countries were the first African nations to receive independence, the majority of them were in North Africa. This distinction is an important part of the entire continents history.

Technically, if we eliminate the sub-Saharan countries of Liberia, South Africa, and Ethiopia that are often skipped in favor of Ghana, we are left chronologically with Egypt (1922), Libya (1951). Even if we disqualify those two for various reasons, Sudan (1956), Morocco (1956) and Tunisia (1956) are next in line. This makes Ghana the ninth nation in the line-up to receive the distinction of the first independent African nation to receive independence from colonialism. In spite of the claims made by editors, journalists and history books, Ghana was neither the first African nation to gain Independence nor the first sub-Saharan African nation to do so. The narratives of the continent need to be both accurate and clear. The decolonization process was a continent wide movement that did not discriminate between North and South. The entire continent wanted to rid itself from the system of colonialism. Africa and the rest of the world need to remember the African decolonization process first and foremost as a continental movement. In other words, it should be more important to distinguish the first African nation to receive independence because that country’s independence had an effect on the entire continent’s independence movements.

Although Ghana’s distinction as the first Black African nation in Africa to be independent is important as well, we need to consider that some distinctions contribute to continued ethnic based divisions on the continent because they are influenced by geo-politics. There should be no North-South distinction for the purpose of political or social accolades on the continent. Africa’s decolonization was not an isolated movement and Africans need to tell this story in its totality. As Nkrumah noted on Ghana’s independence, “…Our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of Africa.” Likewise, it should be said that Africa’s independence narratives are meaningless unless they are linked up with the liberation movement of the entire continent.

Political History of Ghana 1957 - independence, Nkrumah of CPP is PM, 2 key parties 1960 - declared republic, one party system, presidential system 1966 - military overthrow of 1st republic 1969 - 2nd republic, Busia of PP is PM, 2 key parties 1972 - military overthrow of 2nd republic 1978 - palace coup to restructure military government 1979 - junior officer uprising and military housecleaning 1979 - ushered third republic, Limann of PNP is President, 3 parties 1981 - overthrow of the constitutional PNP gov't by the PNDC military junta 1983 - Attempted overthrow of the PNDC junta by other junior army men 1992 - Rawlings of NDC is Dem elected as President, 2 parties ** 1996 - Rawlings of NDC is re-elected, 2 parties 2001 - Kuffour (NPP) is President 2005 - Kufuor begins second-term in office 2009 - John Evans At

ta Mills (NDC) is President 2012 - John Dramani Mahama (NDC) is sworn in as President following death of President Mills Summary: multiparty system 20 years military system 21 years oneparty system 6 years ** fraud allegations led to an electoral boycott resulting in an effective one party system.

Also, marks the first time when the head of a military regime had contested in an election. Ghana lies at the heart of a region which has been leading sub-Saharan African culture since the first millenium BC in metal-working mining, sculpture and agriculture. Modern Ghana takes its name from the ancient kingdom of Ghana, some 800 km. (500 miles) to the north of present-day Accra, which flourished up to the eleventh century AD. One of the great sudanic states which dominate African history, the kingdom of Ghana controlled the gold trade between the min- ing areas to the south and the Saharan trade routes to the north. Ancient Ghana was also the focus for the export trade in Saharan copper and salt. The coming of Europeans altered the trading patterns, and the focus of economic power shifted to the West African coast- line. The Portuguese came first, seeking the source of the African gold. It lay too far inland for them to reach; but on the Gold Coast they found a region where gold could be obtained, exported along established trade paths from the interior.

Their fort at Elmina ("the mine") was the first in a series of forts along the Gold Coast designed to repel the other European seafarers who followed in their wake, all struggling for their share of the profitable Gold Coast trade. In due course, however, slaves replaced gold as the most lucrative trade along the coast, with the European slave buy- ers using the forts and adjoining buildings for their own accommodation and protection, as well as for storing the goods, mainly guns and gunpowder, which they would barter for slaves. Some of the forts were also used for keeping newly acquired slaves pending the arrival of the ships sent to collect them. The history of the various forts, given later in this guide, graphically expresses how the various European trading nations fought for our gold, ivory and later, slaves. But while Europeans quarrelled over access to the coastal trade, and despite the appalling depredations of the slave traders, which left whole regions destroyed and depopulated, the shape of modern Ghana was being laid down.

At the end of the 17th century, there were a number of small states on the Gold Coast; by 1750, these had merged, by conquest or diplomacy, into two: the Asante empire, and the Fantes. By the 19th century, the Asantes were seeking mastery of the coast, and especially access to the trading post of Elmina. By this time the British had won control of the coastal trade from the other European nations, and their interests could not tolerate further Asante expansion - more so since the Asante Empire was known for its sophisticated admin- istrative efficiency and would have been difficult or im- possible to best at trade. Nevertheless it took a series of military campaigns over some 50 years before the British were finally able to force the Asantes to give up sovereignty over their southern possessions. In a final campaign in 1874 the British attempted, without success, to seize Asante; they were however able to take Kumasi and exact a huge ransom for it in gold; and the vast Asante empire shrunk to the Asante and Brong-Ahafo regions of modern Ghana.

Meanwhile, the Fantes too had been uniting and organiz- ing, and in 1868 formed themselves into a confederacy under a king-president with a 15,000 strong army, a civil service and a constitution. In 1871 the British arrested the Fante leaders for "treason". They were however freed a month later, but the con- federacy never recovered from the blow. In 1874 the British for- mally established the British Crown Colony of the Gold Coast, "legalizing" a colonial policy which had in fact been in force since the signing of the bond between the coastal Chiefs and the British in 1844, despite the fact that the Chiefs never ceded sovereignty to the British under the bond, though some of them allowed British intervention in judicial matters. The Asante and Fante traditions of education and organ- ization, and their urge for autonomy, remained throughout the years of British colonial rule. The Gold Coast was regarded as the showpiece of Britain's colonies: the richest, the best educat- ed, the first to have an elected majority in the legislature and with the best organized native authorities.

The Gold Coast riots in 1948, which marked the start of the people's agitation for independence, were instrumental in changing British policy and drove home the point that colonialism had no future. But a long struggle still lay ahead - and the man who was the catalyst of that struggle was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah Born in 1909, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah trained as a teacher at Achimota College in Ghana and then in the United States and Britain, where he obtained his degrees. He became prominent as a leader of West African organiza- tions in London and was invited to return to Ghana as general secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention. In 1949 he broke away to from the Convention People's Party with the slo- gan Self-Government Now. In February 1951 the party swept to victory in the polls and became the leaders of Govermnent business in the colony's first African government. The Gold Coast had become the first British colony in Africa to achieve self-government. On 6 March 1957 Ghana achieved independence - again, the first British colony in Africa to do so - with Osagyefo Dr.

Kwame Nkrumah as its first Prime Minister. On 1st July,1960 it became a republic with Kwame Nkrumah as its first President. Ghana spearheaded the political advancement of Africa and Dr. Nkrumah laid the foundations for the unity later expressed in the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). He was a firm supporter of the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned movement. On 24th February 1966, the government of Dr. Nkrumah was overthrown by the Ghana armed forces and the police. A National Liberation Council (NLC), headed by Lt. General Joseph Arthur Ankrah, was formed to administer the country. General Ankrah was removed from office in April 1969 and Lt. General Akwasi Amankwa Afrifa became the Chairman of the NLC, which later gave way to a three-man Presidential Commission with General Afrifa as chairman. The Commission paved the way for a general election in 1969 which brought into power the Progress Party government, with Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia as Prime Minister and Mr. Edward Akufo Addo as president.

The Ghana armed forces again took over the reins of gov- ernment on 13th January 1972, and Colonel (later General) Ignatius Kutu Acheampong became the Head of State and Chairman of the National Redemption Council (NRC). The name of the NRC was later changed to the Supreme Military Council (SMC). General Acheampong was replaced by General F.W.K. Akuffo in a palace coup in July 1978. The SMC was overthrown on 4th June 1979, in a mass revolt of junior officers and men of the Ghana armed forces. Following the uprising, an Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was set up under the chairmanship of Flt.-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. The AFRC carried out a house-cleaning exercise in the armed forces and society at large, while restoring a sense of moral responsibility and the principle of accountability and pro- bity in public life. The AFRC was in office for only three months and, in pursuance of a programme already set in motion before the uprising, allowed general elections to be held.

On 24th September 1979, the AFRC handed over power to the civilian administration of Dr. Hilla Limann, leader of the People's National Party which had won the elections. In the wake of the continuing downward plunge of the coun- try, the Limann administration was overthrown on 31st December 1981, ushering in a new revolutionary era of far-reach ing reforms and rehabilitation at all levels. Flt.-Lt. Rawlings became the Chairman of a nine-member Provisional National Defence Ruling Council, (PNDC) with Secretaries of State in charge of the various ministries being responsible to the PNDC . Immediately on assumption of office, the PNDC set up a National Commission for Democracy (NCD) charged with for- mulating a programme for the more effective realisation of true democracy. The Govemment of the PNDC also provided for the establishment of elected District Assemblies to bring local government to the grassroots.

In 1990, the NCD, at the prompting of the PNDC, organised forums in all the 10 regions of the country at which Ghanaians of all walks of life advanced their views as to what form of gov- ernment they wanted. These views were collated and analysed by the NCD whose final report indicated that the people want- ed a multi-party system of government. This led to the appointment of a Committee of Experts to draw up constitutional proposals for the consideration of a Consultative Assembly. The Assembly prepared a draft consti- tution based on proposals submitted to it by the PNDC, as well as previous constitutions of 1957,1969 and 1979, and the report of the Committee of Experts. The final draft constitution was unanimously approved by the people in a referendum on April 28,1992. Among other things, the Constitution provides for an Executive President elected by universal adult suffrage for a term of four years and eligible for re-election for only one addi- tional term.

In the presidential elections held on November 3, 1992, Flt.-Lt- Rawlings who stood on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), garnered 58.8% of the 3,989,020 votes cast to beat to second place his closest rival Prof. Albert Adu Boahen representing the New Patriotic Party who polled 30.4% of the votes. Other contestants for the presidency were former president Dr. Hilla limann of the People's National Convention (6.7%), Mr. Kwabena Darko of the National Independence Party (2.8%) and Lt-Gen. Emmanuel Erskine representing the People's Heritage Party (1.7%). In the parliamentary elections held on December 29,1992, the Progressive Alliance made up of the National Democratic Congress, the National Convention Party and the Egle Party won 198 seats out of a total of 200, within the Alliance the NDC won 189 seats, the NCP had 8, the Egle Party 2, and Independents 2.

Four parties - the NPP, PNC, NIP and PHP - boycotted the parliamentary elections, disatisfied with the pro posed election strategy. The Fourth Republic was inaugurated on January 7,1993 with the swearing-in of Flt. Lt. Rawlings as President and his running mate, Mr.K.N. Arkaah as Vice President. The newly elected Parliament was opened on the same day and elected, Mr. Justice D.F. Annan as Speaker. 1996: Rawlings was re-elected for a second term In the December 7, 2000 elections, John A. Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), won the largest share of the presidential vote with 48.17% of the vote, compared to 44.54.% for Rawlings vice-president and hand-picked successor, John Atta Mills of the NDC. The NPP also won 100 of the 200 seats in Parliament. The NDC won 92 seats, while independent and small party candidates won eight seats.

In the December 28 run-off election, with pledges of support form the other five opposition parties, Kufuor defeated Mills by winning 56.73% of the vote and the NPP picked up one additional MP by winning a by-election, giving them 100 seats and a majority in Parliament. Both rounds of the election were observed, and declared free and fair by a large contingent of domestic and international monitors. President Kufuor took the oath of office on January 7, 2001, becoming the first elected president in Ghanas history to succeed another elected president. He was re-elected in December 2004 for a second four-year term, becoming the first civilian president (without a military background) to fully serve his tenure and go ahead to be re-elected. In the December 7, 2008 elections, John Evans Atta Mills won the majority of votes after two rounds of voting and a final decidal at Tain and community in the Brong Ahafo region and was declared president and accordingly sworn-in in 2009.

President Atta Mills died on July 24, 2012 having served three and half years of his four year mandate as an elected president. By this tragic incident, President Atta Mills becomes the first sitting president to have died whiles still serving. According to the Constitution of Ghana, Vice President John Dramani Mahama was sworn in as the President of the Republic of Ghana. He is expected to serve the remaining term of the Late President. Political outlook Under Jerry Rawlings' rule, Ghana became the most politically stable and prosperous nation in West Africa and provided a model of development for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. This may continue under President Kufuor if the new government and opposition remain mindful of the turbulence in neighbouring Cte d'Ivoire and try to quell some of the grassroots violence seen during the last general election and in Dagbon in 2002. Political instability and the intervention of the military is unlikely, particularly given Kufuor's ability to turn the Ghanaian economy around since he came to power. Despite his outbursts, Rawlings' career as a serial coup maker appears to be over.

Nevertheless, following his inauguration in January 2001, President Kufuor appeared to backtrack on many popular policies which brought him electoral success. Apparently more interested in appeasing Western donors and international financial institutions than bolstering his own popularity, Kufuor pledged a period of austerity measures. He claims he is fully aware of the dangers this could pose to Ghana's political stability. In his swearing-in ceremony he warned that the ailing economy would 'put severe strains on our people's beliefs and enthusiasm for the democratic process' unless donors step up their assistance. Culled from the booklet "GHANA - a brief guide" a publication of the Ghana Information Services Department 1994. Ghanaweb added more info Nnamdi Azikiwe, the First President of Nigeria, Dies at 91 - The New York Times The New York Times World |Nnamdi Azikiwe, the First President of Nigeria, Dies at 91 Search Continue reading the main story Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nigeria's first President and a vigorous champion of African independence from European colonial rule, died Saturday in a hospital in his native eastern Nigeria after a long illness. He was 91. Dr.

Azikiwe, an Ibo from southeast Nigeria, presided over a democratic Government that was in power for a mere three years before the regional tensions that have marked the country's politics ever since led to the first of many military coups. But as a lawyer, political scientist, journalist, political activist, President and for many years Nigeria's elder statesman, Dr. Azikiwe towered over the affairs of Africa's most populous nation, attaining the rare status of a truly national hero who came to be admired across the regional and ethnic lines dividing his country. After years of agitation for nationhood, Dr. Azikiwe became Governor General of the Nigerian Federation at independence from Britain in 1960, and President in 1963, when the country was declared a republic. While in office, he introduced universal adult suffrage and moved to extend schooling throughout the country. When Nigeria's civil war erupted in 1967, after a disastrous attempt at secession led by the Ibo general Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Dr. Azikiwe broke ranks with leaders from his own ethnic group who supported the bid to form an independent nation called Biafra.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story For a time, his support of a united Nigeria earned him the scorn of many in his native southeast. But with his customary political aplomb, Dr. Azikiwe soon emerged from the ashes of a defeated Biafra to figure prominently in the country's triangular ethnic coalition politics. He ran again for the presidency twice, in 1979 and 1983, during a brief interlude of democracy between military governments. But although he ran strongly in his native region each time, he ended up throwing his support to rivals from the north. Early in his career, Dr. Azikiwe seemed to realize that his Ibo group, the smallest of Nigeria's three major ethnic sub-divisions, could never rule the country outright. This insight led him to form alliances with northern politicians from the Muslim Hausa-Fulani ethnic constellation that would give him a far greater say in the country's affairs than he could have hoped for alone. Throughout his life, Dr. Azikiwe's alliance with northerners put him at odds with Obafemi Awolowo, a socialist-inclined leader of the Yoruba, the country's other important southern group. In the view of Mr.

Awolowo's supporters and many other Nigerians, Dr. Azikiwe's compact with the north opened the country to domination by the north and by the military, whose senior officer corps is dominated by people of Hausa and Fulani background. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy Born Nov. 16, 1904, in Zungeru in northern Nigeria, where his father was stationed as a colonial civil servant, Nnamdi Azikiwe attended English-run missionary schools. He then went to the United States, where he studied at Storer College in West Virginia, Howard University in Washington, D.C., Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Azikiwe taught political science at Lincoln University for three years in the early 1930's before returning to Africa, where he founded the first of five newspapers he would create, The African Morning Post, in Accra, Ghana, in 1934. In Ghana, Dr.

Azikiwe became a mentor to Kwame Nkrumah, the Premier of that British colony who would go on to become the President of the first African country to free itself from European rule, in 1957. Dr. Azikiwe returned to Nigeria in 1937 and worked as an editor and essayist before throwing himself into the limited local politics under colonial rule, becoming a member of the Legislative Council in 1948. Making a name for himself as an outspoken advocate of independence, he went on to become Premier of the country's Eastern Region in 1954. After he disappeared from public for several weeks in 1989 following the death of his wife, Flora, associates of Dr. Azikiwe announced his death, provoking an outpouring of emotion in his honor. Clearly relishing the affection shown for him, Dr. Azikiwe resurfaced from seclusion, saying "I am not in a hurry to leave this world, because it is the only planet I know." Advertisement Gold Coast (Ghana) gains independence | South African History Online South African History Online Home » Gold Coast (Ghana) gains independence Gold Coast (Ghana) gains independence Ghana Flag.

Source: Wednesday, 6 March 1957 On 06 March 1957, the Gold Coast (now known as Ghana) gained independence from Britain. Ghana became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Ghana was led to independence by Kwame Nkrumah who transformed the country into a republic, with himself as president for life. The country made history in the continent by becoming the first country to gain independence. Before it was colonised, Ghana was made up of a number of independent kingdoms, including Gonja and Dagomba in the north, Ashanti in the interior, and the Fanti states along the coast. In 1482 the first European fort was established by the Portuguese at Elmina. References: • Biography.com, ‘Kwame Nkrumah’ , [online], Available at [Accessed: 13 February 2012]

Question: Who became the first President of the newly independent Ghana in 1957?
Answer: KWAME NKRUMAH